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• patch-up
  patch-up

  noun

  an act or instance of patching or repair.
• patch up
  patch up

  Mend or repair, make whole. For example, He managed to patch up the lawn mower so it's running, or John cut his hand badly, but they patched him up in the emergency room, or Mike and Molly have patched up their differences. This term alludes to mending something by putting patches of material on it. [Second half of 1500s]

patch-up

American  

[pach-uhp] / ˈpætʃˌʌp /

noun

1. an act or instance of patching or repair.

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adjective

1. done by patching or fixing.

   a quick patch-up job.

patch up Idioms  

1. Mend or repair, make whole. For example, He managed to patch up the lawn mower so it's running, or John cut his hand badly, but they patched him up in the emergency room, or Mike and Molly have patched up their differences. This term alludes to mending something by putting patches of material on it. [Second half of 1500s]

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Etymology

Origin of patch-up

First recorded in 1900–05; noun, adj. use of verb phrase patch up

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

patch-up patch up

This otherwise unremarkable pothole, which emerged from the crumbling ruins of a previous patch-up job, pre-dates that initiative, but how long would it take to be noticed, reported and fixed?

From BBC ● Jun. 10, 2026

So here’s what I’m thinking: Before you skulk to her bedside for an insincere patch-up job, talk to your brother.

From Washington Post ● Jun. 28, 2022

We'll be radioactive debris long before this proposed patch-up job would come along.

From New York Times ● Jul. 25, 2016

Prediction : 2-2 Somehow, this patch-up New York team keeps winning.

From The Guardian ● May 18, 2012

Now all law, all social order, all custom, is a patch-up and a concession to this separating passion of self-insistence.

From The Passionate Friends by H. G. (Herbert George) Wells

You never know when you might need to patch up a cut, disinfect a wound, or even help an injured traveler on the side of the road.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 20, 2026

The question that’s been glossed over, however, is whether the ballroom would really patch up security for the president.

From Salon ● May 1, 2026

King Charles III made gentle fun of the shared history between Britain and the United States on Tuesday as he continued his high-stakes visit to patch up transatlantic ties.

From Barron's ● Apr. 29, 2026

She also told me: "This break is extremely permanent. It feels like James and Rupert will never patch up their differences."

From BBC ● Dec. 23, 2025

The NSA had instructed him to patch up fraying relations with Britain’s intelligence community—and also to lay the groundwork for spying on America’s enemies, as well as some of its closest friends.

From "The Woman All Spies Fear" by Amy Butler Greenfield